


Like a dying, little firefly

by Captain_Mercurian



Series: So what do I do with this? [3]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Credence Barebone Needs a Hug, Credence you innocent creature, I promise it gets better from here on, M/M, Mary Lou is a bitch, Maybe - Freeform, Newt is confused, Still, and disappointed, her leaflets too, just writing this breaks my heart, like really, though they aren't technically people
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2016-11-29
Packaged: 2018-09-03 03:02:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8693845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Captain_Mercurian/pseuds/Captain_Mercurian
Summary: Blinking, he craned his neck, not even feeling the burning sensation on his back, and his heart skipped a beat as he saw the man passing by with a suitcase and throwing nervous looks around him.He felt the corner of his mouth twitch upwards as he thought, with something that must have been affection, that he probably was looking for the weird cat again.





	

Credence didn't see the man again.

 

No matter how hard he looked, how fast and how far he walked on his leaflet-runs, he couldn't find the blue coat and the warm eyes. It was almost frightening how much his sanity already seemed to depend on that little light that the man had unintentionally brought into Credence's life.

Everything and everyone in New York seemed to be nothing but grey silhouttes, passing by and emitting nothing but coldness. The stranger had been so different. _So different_.

 

He wanted to find him again, wanted to know his name and... and? Credence hadn't even thought any further than that yet. His name would be enough, so he wouldn't have to call him “the man” any longer. It would be intimate enough.

It wasn't much that he asked for. Just that. That little, but oh so important confirmation that they weren't simply strangers bumping into each other. They'd be aquantices. The clostest to friends that he had ever experienced.

 

The thing was, that Credence might have found himself a little obsessed with the stranger. So obsessed even, that his mother noticed how his mind wandered, how he didn't cower in fear all the time and instead imagined what he would say to the man once he found him again. In his daydreams, he would ask his name and there would be that gentle smile again, those little wrinkles underneath warm eyes and the stranger would introduce himself with this deep and soft voice that made his knees go weak.

That was it. That was all he thought about. His dreams never got further and he couldn't imagine that reality would be any different. Credence wouldn't know anything else to say and the man would see no reason to linger.

He didn't feel bitter about that. It was enough. His name was enough.

 

A smack on the back of his head made him snap out of his thoughts.

 

“Is the food not to your liking?” his mother snapped, her face an ugly scowl. Credence froze immediately, clutching the spoon as he felt a cold shiver run down his spine. “Is the majesty not pleased with the soup?”

He openend his mouth to answer but she simply smacked him hard enough to let his face collide with the bowl, spilling soup on the table.

 

“You ungrateful, lazy parasite.”

 

“Ma-” Another smack.

  
“I should let you starve.”

 

His face and bangs were drenched in soup and his eyes were burning from it. Credence was trembling as his vision turned blurry and his mouth had went dry from fear.  
  
“Stand up and tacke off your belt.”

 

Closing his burning eyes, he did what he was told. Chastity led Modesty out of the room and up the stairs as mother grabbed his belt, her eyes hard and gray.

 

Blood _was_ hard to wash out.

 

 

 

His dreams became nightmares again as he never did reach the man, instead, he fell – He would see him, hear his gentle request and he would run towards him. Panting and aching, he would run and run but every time he thought he might gotten just close enough to see his eyes, the darkness would crumble beneath his feet and bury him in its ashes. His hand would reach out for him, he would beg for him to help but the man wouldn't respond as Credence was smothered by a faceless monster.

 

Mother's bell felt like a saving grace when he woke up, drenched in sweat and with tears in his eyes.

 

 

 

Another day went by in which Credence didn't find the man. As was already his custom, he'd throw away some leaflets to make mother believe that he was still giving them to interested people instead of wasting his time looking for a blue coat or a stealing cat.

Closing the garbage can, he looked up and felt his blood freeze in his veins.

 

Mother stood there.

 

Mother _saw_.

 

 

 

No nightmares would haunt him that night as he was in too much pain to even think about sleep.

His body was bloodied and bruised, not just his back but his chest and his thighs and there was no position that would have spared him from this agony.

He didn't think about the man in the blue coat. The thought of him had been whipped from his mind by his own belt, crushed like a weak, little firefly under mother's shoe.

Without any light to comfort him, Credence couldn't help but let himself fall into darkness.

 

He longed for death as he lost conciousness.

 

 

 

The next morning, he overheared mother and Chastity talking about a house that was mysteriously destroyed, not far from theirs. A proof for Witchcraft.

 

Credence curled in on himself.

 

 

 

Pretendting not to be in pain was hard when mother lead him and his sisters to the New York County National Bank, so they could spread their leaflets there. He could barely look at the great, red banner showing a wand being snapped in half. There was something in him that broke just a little bit whenever he saw it and now, that he was fighting to even stay concious, he really couldn't afford any more damage.

 

His mother was shouting about how dangerous these witchers were, how they were real and how people had to realize that there was a war needed to be fought. Usually, his mother would have been ignored, laughed at even. However, given that just this morning the mysterious destruction of an entire building had taken place, there actually were people stopping and listening. Leaflets were taken, demanded even, so Credence just had to let the people take them. It was a relief to not be forced to actually approach anyone, especially now that he could barely move without hurting bad enough to feel his legs tremble.

 

Credence didn't look anyone in the eye, hiding underneath his hat and bangs and it truly was a miracle that he chose this exact moment to look up – the moment in which a flash of brown and blue passed by. Blinking, he craned his neck, not even feeling the burning sensation on his back, and his heart skipped a beat as he saw the man passing by with a suitcase and throwing nervous looks around him.

He felt the corner of his mouth twitch upwards as he thought, with something that must have been affection, that he probably was looking for the weird cat again.

 

Mother would see him walking away if he followed the stranger.

  
Mother could go to hell.

 

Without any further thought, he took off and he found that he didn't care about bumping into several people as he fought his way out of the crowd, despite the pain that shot through him like thunder. Curses were thrown at him, he lost his hat somewhere along the way and then – then he was free and the man was still there and his legs carried him forward, further and further...

 

Their eyes met as the stranger turned, a little lost and a little confused, and Credence's pace slowed down considerably.

 

He didn't know what he had expected. Certainly not this.

 

Never had he seen anyone smile at him like that. Like they were happy to see him. There was still confusion hidden in those brilliantly blue eyes but as he got closer, he could see small wrinkles and more freckles than he could ever count. Somehow, he wanted to try, though.

His legs trembled, for a different reason entirely as just seconds before, and the man had stopped in his tracks to wait for Credence to reach him.

No one had ever waited for him.

 

He stopped at arm's length, clutching the leaflets like they could keep his knees from giving in. The man's smile was still there, more beautiful than he remembered, gentle and caring and still slightly confused.

 

“Credence?” he asked softly, tilting his head shyly, and the sound of it felt like a carress.

 

Now was his chance to ask for his name. So many times had he turned this exact scenario over and over in his head, had planned what to say, even how to say it- Forgotten were all his plans. His mind went completely blank and just like his legs, his mouth decided that it should take over.

 

“W-would you be interested i-in joining the New Salem Philantrophic Society, S-sir.”

 

Silence.

 

The wrinkles eased as the man lowered his gaze to look at the stack of leaflets, Credence hadn't even noticed he had started to hold out for him. Blue eyes stared at the symbol, at the wand being crushed, and the gentle smile died on his lips.

Credence's body went cold.

 

This time, the stranger didn't look him in the eye again.

 

“Er,” he coughed, licking his lips nervously and slightly turning away his head. “I... I have to go.”

 

Slowly, Credence's arms trembled, losing the little strength they had possesed.

 

“I'm sorry,” the man mumbled before hurrying away, towards the stairs that led up to the Bank. Just for a second he could see him pause, turn his head just enough so Credence could see the tip of his freckled nose.

Then, he slightly shook his head and darted up the stairs, his blue coat fluttering behind him.

 

Mother's leaflets spilled on the floor, and this time, he had to pick them up himself.

 

Credence hadn't thought he could break anymore than he already had.

 

This wasn't breaking, though.

 

 

This was shattering.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Poor Credence still doesn't know Newt's name. I'm sorry that this one turned out to be so sad. Pinky-promise that it'll get better, though!  
> I decided to loosely follow some of the movie's events 'cause I had a great idea involving a certain scene and I'm excited to try it out!


End file.
